Railtec Transfers

[Andy7]

1 hour ago, Hilux5972 said:

Surely would be better to email him directly through the website rather than on a public forum?

Not if his email setup on his website is currently offline for upgrading. Always send a PM via here though.

[Mol_PMB]

Indeed, I posted here because I was unable to find an email address on his website and the contact part of the website seems to have been offline for some time. 

I had assumed that Steve monitored this part of the forum regularly but perhaps I was wrong. 

He still seems to producing excellent transfers including custom work, so I obviously need to find a better way of getting in touch!

I’ll try a PM; thanks for the suggestion. 

[Phil Bullock]

Don’t know how he does it but Steve is usually very good at responding to PMs through here. We got carflats for 4mm sorted through that route and now he is looking at 21ton minerals . Excellent service!

[Downendian]

Terrific service from Steve at Railtec this week. In the process of renumbering a significant number of my fleet having languished with their factory applied numbers for years, plus eventually getting around to respraying some class 24s in green full yellow livery.

10 bespoke numbers supplied, a couple of query emails from Steve re font and numeral size in the interim (my fault for not providing this info in the first place) and delivered this morning, five days after placing my order.

My renumbering projects now all involve Railtec pre made numbers - far easier for a computer to get the numbers aligned than my eyesight and a trembling cocktail stick on the model.

A very satisfied customer.

Neil 

[ruggedpeak]

Railtec website seems to be down, hopefully a temporary glitch.

[railtec-models]

48 minutes ago, ruggedpeak said:

Railtec website seems to be down, hopefully a temporary glitch.

No reports of any outages for some considerable time. If the web site is down for you, PM me.

Edited December 11, 2021 by railtec-models

[ruggedpeak]

5 minutes ago, railtec-models said:

No reports of any outages for some considerable time. If the web site is down for you, PM me.

Railtec websites came back as unknown at the point I posted using Edge and Firefox and on laptop and phone. Other sites were working as normal. Can see it back now so can order!

[railtec-models]

6 hours ago, Downendian said:

Terrific service from Steve at Railtec this week. In the process of renumbering a significant number of my fleet having languished with their factory applied numbers for years, plus eventually getting around to respraying some class 24s in green full yellow livery.

10 bespoke numbers supplied, a couple of query emails from Steve re font and numeral size in the interim (my fault for not providing this info in the first place) and delivered this morning, five days after placing my order.

My renumbering projects now all involve Railtec pre made numbers - far easier for a computer to get the numbers aligned than my eyesight and a trembling cocktail stick on the model.

A very satisfied customer.

Neil 

 

Happy to help Neil. I still hear of some folks going the route of lining up individual numbers. Baffles me in this day and age!

[guzzler17]

On 11/12/2021 at 17:59, railtec-models said:

 

I still hear of some folks going the route of lining up individual numbers. Baffles me in this day and age!

 

TBH it's sometimes quicker.

 

A year ago I asked a trader what type of computer file they could print transfers from, I was going to draw some up for personal use, but they didn't respond.

 

2 years ago I asked someone else if they could reduce some of their 4mm sheets to 2mm.  Got a holding response within a day or two but no contact since.

[cctransuk]

1 hour ago, guzzler17 said:

 

TBH it's sometimes quicker.

 

A year ago I asked a trader what type of computer file they could print transfers from, I was going to draw some up for personal use, but they didn't respond.

 

2 years ago I asked someone else if they could reduce some of their 4mm sheets to 2mm.  Got a holding response within a day or two but no contact since.

 

I'm afraid that your questions to transfer producers betray a lack of knowledge of the production process.

 

Using customer-designed files is more time-consuming than starting from scratch; reducing the scale of transfers is also a start-from-scratch process - not least because reducing the scale reduces the working margin around each transfer.

 

John Isherwood,

Cambridge Custom Transfers.

[guzzler17]

7 hours ago, cctransuk said:

I'm afraid that your questions to transfer producers betray a lack of knowledge of the production process.

 

 

I cannot deny a lack of knowledge in how transfers are manufactured but as a boss of mine once said "If you don't ask you don't find out".

 

I asked and .........................

 

7 hours ago, cctransuk said:

Using customer-designed files is more time-consuming than starting from scratch; reducing the scale of transfers is also a start-from-scratch process - not least because reducing the scale reduces the working margin around each transfer.

 

Thanks for taking the time to pass that information on.

[railtec-models]

4 hours ago, guzzler17 said:

I asked and .........................

 

The thing I keep in mind when I ask someone if they can lend their expertise to help me with a task is this: anything I get is a bonus. All the more so in model railways. Many hugely niche products and services that we may sometimes take for granted are created and crafted out of thin air by another modeller who one day decided to pull themselves up, innovate and invest (heavily and at huge personal risk in some cases) to single-handedly develop something I'm either unable to, unwilling to risk the cash to do myself, or simply just don't want to....

 

Sure, a response to every single inbound comm should be first base, but if that doesn't happen then I know there's probably a good reason. We're not dealing with follow-the-sun Amazon customer service teams here, but often with an individual who may get pummelled 24/7/365. Based on my own personal experience I understand it can be a physical impossibility for these specialists to help or in some cases even respond to absolutely everybody all the time. It just is. Specialist resource is finite. So I can either use that awareness and channel my own finite energy to go onto social media, or I can use the same key strokes to reach out to them again at a later date. My own experience is that the latter is infinitely more productive in building bridges with organisations of all sizes. But that's just me.

[andyman7]

On 11/12/2021 at 17:59, railtec-models said:

 

Happy to help Neil. I still hear of some folks going the route of lining up individual numbers. Baffles me in this day and age!

If I have the model on my workbench ready for renumbering, often I'll grit my teeth and do the numbers one by one rather than wait for a pre-ordered set; also as I am normally working from pictures I can space the numbers as per the specific loco being modelled, as this varied in real life. I do completely agree that pre-made sets are much easier.

[railtec-models]

24 minutes ago, andyman7 said:

If I have the model on my workbench ready for renumbering, often I'll grit my teeth and do the numbers one by one rather than wait for a pre-ordered set; also as I am normally working from pictures I can space the numbers as per the specific loco being modelled, as this varied in real life. I do completely agree that pre-made sets are much easier.

 

If it helps, simple ready-made loco numbers get dispatched usually pretty quickly, sometimes even same day (not always, but it happens often enough). If you're renumbering BR green diesels or steam locos then 9990 will do the job, whilst 9991 will be the most likely candidate for BR blue locos, and 9993 for large logo, NSE, GBRf, EWS etc:

 

https://www.railtec-models.com/catalog.php?type=5&gauge=all&theme=33

 

In each instance I replicate the prototypical number spacing (incl wonky digits) based on the livery and time period being modelled so that all the work is done for you. I've done so many now that I have many of the BR blue, sector etc eras already on file.

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by railtec-models

[87023Velocity]

Work in progress, well nearly finished, Farish class 37 respray into EWS, Railtec custom numbers for 37520, only transfers on this which are not Railtec are the small data panels next to the cab steps.

One thing which did spring to mind whilst doing this respray is that the reflective strip along the bottom of the body is not available as a transfer as far as I am aware? Same used on Freightliner. Idea for you Steve? Although I have sprayed this, think a transfer would be better.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[Steadfast]

9 hours ago, 87023Velocity said:

One thing which did spring to mind whilst doing this respray is that the reflective strip along the bottom of the body is not available as a transfer as far as I am aware?

Totally agree. For what it's worth, it's a 3M reflective tape (may help with a colour match?) and is slightly more orangey than the yellow colour of the painted end on the EWS 66s. The EWS beastie logo is made of the same material. Reference - 66087 in the flesh today.

 

And no, it's not something I'll be doing as it's a bit beyond graffiti or weird niche projects for myself

 

Jo

[railtec-models]

On 15/12/2021 at 10:17, 87023Velocity said:

Work in progress, well nearly finished, Farish class 37 respray into EWS, Railtec custom numbers for 37520, only transfers on this which are not Railtec are the small data panels next to the cab steps.

One thing which did spring to mind whilst doing this respray is that the reflective strip along the bottom of the body is not available as a transfer as far as I am aware? Same used on Freightliner. Idea for you Steve? Although I have sprayed this, think a transfer would be better.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

 

Nice one Simon. Nice to see a good match on the EWS maroon.

[railtec-models]

On 20/11/2021 at 13:32, Mallard60022 said:

Just received my Custom 'renumbering set' with 3D front Plate for 'Packet' 35024. Within a week turnaround.

Very high standard, top quality. I have used other suppliers in the past; maybe not now. OK Etched Plates need to be accessed elsewhere but these items are quality.

Phil

 

Thanks Phil. I'm sure in the fullness of time I'll be venturing into 3d steam loco plates, although works plates and tender plates will be next to accompany the existing 3d shed codes and 3d smokeboxes.

[Silverfox17]

Earlier this year I came across Railtec transfers via a friend and since then only used them for loco numbering. I model TT (3mm) and therefore used to try to use 00 of different heights to get a reasonable version. It still left me with lining up numbers but Steve at Railtec has solved all this. They produce a range of 3mm and the bespoke cab numbers are brilliant with a very quick turn around, usually 24 hours. It is fantastic to get any number I require and not worry about the hassle of not only lining them up but spacing out evenly, it is now one transfer with the full number I want.

 

I recently asked if he could reproduce his 3D waterslide transfers in 3mm which Steve has done. Here is a Deltic nameplate, GWR cab plate (notice the red lining and 4 bolt holes) and some smokebox numbers. Very impressed and very helpful for 3mm modelling.

 

Thanks Steve 

 

Garry

 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Silverfox17

[railtec-models]

On the topic of 3d plates, here are some of the more ornate examples that people have asked for over the past few months. Quite a cruel close-up and even I have utmost difficulty trying to photo the 3d bits in such a way that they appear on camera as they do to the naked eye (& I haven't particularly succeeded here either), but I'm pretty happy with how these have just come out - to the naked eye at least!

 

 

Disclaimer - embellishments such as crests and plaques can, in some cases, take a huge amount of design work and testing to get looking right in each scale - up to several hours each in some cases - at least if you want them to look authentic rather than an approximation or a blob of colour that might look "ok at a distance". So whilst I'm happy to continue to try to help as many people as I possibly can, it won't always be possible to consider every unique embellishment either due to lack of suitably detailed images or lack of resource, so please just bear that in mind. Other 3d items such as bog standard 3d plates (i.e. plates like "The Commonwealth Spirit"), 3d shed codes, 3d smokeboxes and 3d GWR cabside plates of your choice all continue to be available as templates for those already exist.

 

Hope you're all enjoying a peaceful Christmas.

[Phil Bullock]

Thanks for the update Steve and hope you have had a peaceful Christmas. The Commonwealth Spirit plates must surely outsell all others? 

[Silverfox17]

Here are some more TT, 3mm, transfers Steve scaled down earlier this year. This time for Prestwn Silo wagons. The sheet has enough for a few wagons, and also, for two different versions.

 

Garry

[tinsley-toton]

On 27/12/2021 at 12:16, Phil Bullock said:

Thanks for the update Steve and hope you have had a peaceful Christmas. The Commonwealth Spirit plates must surely outsell all others? 

Put it this way, he sold another set this week 

[Silverfox17]

I thought I would have something different on a black WR loco as a few had red numberplates so got a set of TT ones.  Initially I thought it looked large but in fact it is the same as a Castle numberplate but the smokebox itself is approx 3mm smaller in diameter making the plate look bigger.

 

These are really nice and stand out.

 

I also went for a white bordered smokebox number for my Clan (which also has a shed plate fitted) and again this looks really nice.

 

Thanks Steve

 

Garry

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by Silverfox17

[sulzer71]

@railtec-models

 

Steve , could you please check your private messages , some custom items I need please , I will also be ordering something from the website so may as well all be sent together

 

Regards

 

Dave